Old
CHESTER
in Delaware County, PA

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Postmasters | Letter Carriers/Clerks | Sub. Post Offices 1937

History | Early Post Office Sites

Contacting me: - Update

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You can contact me by phone. Follow this link for phone number.  -John

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Post_Office.jpg (77762 bytes)

"Old" Post Office, 5th & Welsh St., Chester, PA - Erected 1896
(In 1949 this building was renamed the "Chester Municipal Building")

In 1803 Hon. William Anderson erected an imposing dwelling on this site which was removed in 1893 to make room for the Post Office building.

An 1899 Chester Times news article reported that the Chester Post Office would be open "as usual" on Christmas Day until 10:00 a.m.  However, the carriers would only make one round that day and would not depart until 8:00 a.m., one hour later than usual!

"New" Chester Post Office, dedicated August 28, 1937

The "New" Chester Post Office was dedicated August 28, 1937.

 

Postmasters:
Postmaster Date of Appointment
Miles Macarty February 16, 1790
William Anderson July 1, 1797
Aaron Cobourne April 1, 1797
Thomas D. Anderson January 1, 1812
Mary Davenport January 1, 1814
Mark Winter February 21, 1818
Joshua A. Pearson April 1, 1822
Peter Deshong July 27, 1824
Mary Deshong [Biography & Picture] January 16, 1828
Caleb Pierce March 29, 1837
Willaim W. Doyle March 29, 1841
Charlotte Doyle August 8, 1842
George W. Weaver April 7, 1857
Young S. Walter April 15, 1861
Joseph R. T. Coates March 11, 1865
William G. Price March 26, 1869
William H. Martin March 22, 1873
John A. Wallace December 20, 1881
Henry G. Ashmead August 3, 1885
Robert Chadwick [Biography] November 23, 1889
John L. Garrett April 11, 1894
Thomas H. Higgins April 28, 1898
John A. Wallace May 15, 1902
James M. Hamilton January 11, 1912
William H. Nelson August 11, 1914
Walter M. Jones (Acting) March 10, 1923
John K. Hagerty (Acting) July 25, 1923
John K. Hagerty January 8, 1924
Isaac A. Hiorth (Acting) January 22, 1935
Isaac A. Hiorth January 28, 1936
F. (Franklin) Levis Stringfellow (c. 1920's - 1940's) - 3
Lawrence A. Conner, Jr. (1950-?)
Emil Baiocco (late 1950's - ?) - 1


Letter Carriers/Clerks: See also:

Picture & list of Carriers, August 1937

Picture & list of Clerks, August 1937

List of Post Office Employees c. 1950-1985
courtesy of Paul Burke.

David, James (1950-1960) - 2
DeAngelo, Jennie DiCostanza (WWI era) - 6

"My mother, Jennie DiCostanza DeAngelo, was a clerk there during the years of WWII. There was an article about her and her job printed in the Chester Times."

DeAngelo, Joe - 6

"My father, Joe DeAngelo, was a letter carrier there during the decade of the 50s. He wore badge #30 and delivered mail in the Flower Street area of the city."

Diamond, Bill (1950's, 1960's) - 1

Farraday, Lester (1900-)
Faucett, John (1950's, 1960's) - 1

Goldsworthy, Fred was a window clerk - 5
Goldsworthy, Howard R, carrier, (brother of Robert Goldy Goldsworthy) - 5
Goldsworthy, Robert (Goldy) carried mail for 41 years - 5

Higgins, Edward (1900-)

Kelly-Ogurko, Janet (Goldsworthy), clerk - 5

LaSpina, Al (1950's, 1960's) - 1
Lawton, Lewis

Macklem, William (1900-)
Mills, Bob (1950's, 1960's) - 1
Matteo, George (1950's, 1960's) - 1
Murray, Albert E. (1970's) - 4

Noden, Harold

Perretta, Jill - 6

"Even I was a temporary employee of the Chester Post Office during the Christmas rush when I was in college in the 60s. We were a Chester Post Office family!"

Pierce, John A.

Redding, Joe (1950's, 1960's)- 1

Shadwell, John (during the time that Emil Baiocco was Postmaster) - 2

Talbot, John (1950's, 1960's) - 1

Walker, Samuel (1900-)
Worrilow, Bill (1950's, 1960's) - 1


Sub. Post Offices
(1937)
Clerk in Charge Station No.
Harry J. Bomberger 1
Henry Bloom 2
Esther M. Ash 3
Domenick P. Cobots 5
Thomas F. Smith 6
Walter Lawton 7
Ralph D. Johnson 11
John Deans Eddystone Branch

History: The following history of the Post Office in Chester is taken from the program book for the Dedication of the new Post Office on August 28, 1937:

The growth of the Postal Service in Chester reflects but the growth of the City itself. In 1788 the Service had an humble beginning with Miles Macarty recording the first return to the Federal Government. Until 1866, the post office led a nomadic existence in the parlors and stores of the postmasters and postmistresses, and in locations always within easy reach of the hub of local activities - Market Square.

Our City Fathers in 1866 erected a brick addition to the north side of the City Hall (now the Old Court House), and therein was established the first Federal-leased post office in Chester. In 1880 the business was transferred to the James Building, part of which still stands, on Edgmont Avenue at Fifth Street.

This was followed in 1896 by the erection of the first Federal-owned building in Chester, at Fifth and Welsh streets. This is the structure we have known and used these forty years, and its imminent abandonment is submerged in the dedication at this time of our New Post Office at Fifth Street and Edgmont Avenue, the seventeenth site to have been used by the Postal Service, - the second structure to have been owned and erected by the Federal Government.

Mr. Hiorth is the twenty-eighth person to have filled the position of Postmaster of Chester, Pennsylvania.


Sites of Early Chester
Post Offices
#3 Columbia House Hotel

#7 Bickley's Drug Store

#10 Harpur's Store

#14 Old City Hall Annex

#15 James' Building

#16 Federal Building (above)


1 - Thanks to Diana (Laspina) Borraccini, aug34@home.com, for this information.

2 - Thanks to CLShadwell@aol.com, for this information.

3 - Thanks to Ralph L. Hall, walf1947@juno.com, for this information.

4 - Thanks to David Murray, son, Mur513@aol.com, for this information.

5 - Thanks to Janet (Goldsworthy) Kelly-Ogurko, Born2Beluved@aol.com, for this information.

6 - Thanks to Jill Perretta, GMPerretta@worldnet.att.net, for this information.


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If you have any information and or pictures that you would like to contribute information about the Post Office in Chester, please forward it to john@oldchesterpa.com


© 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 John A. Bullock III.

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This page last updated 02/24/07

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